Improvement in engines and pumps



UNITED v S'rA'rEs PATENT OEErcE.

OSCAR F. LEWIS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN ENGINES AND PUMPS.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, OscAR P. LEwrs, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Chio, have invented certain Improvements in Compound Engines and Pumps, of which the following is a specification:

The nature of my invention consists: First, in an improved method of constructing an engine adapted to be driven by either vapor, air, or water. Second, in three pistons so constructed and arranged with proper chambers, ports, and valves as to perform the double office of an engine and a pump within one and the same cylinder. Third, in constructing pistons, rods, cross-heads, and pitmen, so arranged as to connect three pistons to proper cranks for simultaneously communicating motion for motive power. Fourth, in combining a condensing` and cooling-chamber with the cylinder or piston-chamber in such a manner as to cool air, vapors, or fluids pumped or condensed by said pistons without materially affecting' the pistons themselves while performing the double office aforesaid.

The various devices and parts of my invention 'will be fully understood by reference to the following description ofsaid compound engine and PUIDP- Figure l is a Asectional elevation of the compound engine and pump on the line a b, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a top view or plan of the compound engine and pump. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the right-hand end of the compound engine and pump. Fig. 4 is an enlarged and detailed sectional drawing ofthe cylinder AA with the pistons p p1 p2, stuffing-boxes s s s in said pistons, and rods r r1 r2.

AA is the piston-chamber of the working-cylinder of the compound engine and pump. B is the bed-plate. C is the steam, vapor, air, water,

or motor-chest. C1 C1 are the chests for the fluids or vapors to be pumped or compressed or exhausted, from whence they are conveyed to the pistonchamber A A. C2 is the condensing or coolingchamber below the cylinder A A', and contains the passages q q c c. E E is the vapor, air, wa-

ter, or motor exhaust-chamber, from whence is` sues the outside chamberH and the exhaust-pipe E. F is the foundation upon which the compound engine and `pump rests and to which it is bolted or fastened. G is a balance-wheel on the crankshaft J. Iisthe induction-pipe bymeans of which the motor is conveyed into the chest C. J is the crank-shaft. H is the exhaust-chamber connecting the exhaust-pipe E with the exhaust-chamber E. W is a pipe with valve c entering the hollow projection l immediately under the pipe I, by means of which the fluids or vapors to be exhausted, pumped, or condensed are inducted into the chests Cl C. a b is a section line on Fig. 2, on which the sectional elevation, Fig. l, is taken. b b are pillar-blocks supporting the shafts connecting the cranks Ich. c is a passage in the heads h h and also in the condenser, cooler, and heater below the working-cylinder and connected with the passages c c in the heads hh. @and e are valves opening and closing mechanically by the usual appliances when vapor is to be condensed or air to be exhausted, but disconnected from opening and closing appliances and left open when air is to be condensed. In this latter case the valve c on pipe W must be closed tight and the valves c u on the covers u u must be opened. ff are valves opening and closing mechanically by the usual appliances, by means of which the fluid motor is inducted and educted to and from the piston-chamber. h h are cylinder-heads made in parts and containing perforated end pieces g g, the disk-valves t t held down by springs, the passages c c and q q, and the stufIing-box s, as shown. z is a cross-head moving on the pistonrods r and r2 in lieu of ways, and to which is connected the piston-rod r1 and the pitman m. i' is a cross-head moving on the ways h n, and to which are connected the piston-rods r and r2 and the pitmenmandm?. hh, &c., are circular cranks. lis a hollow projection with a port or passage-way connecting the pipe W with the chambers C] C1. Z1 is a hollow projection communicating with the chamber C, to which the pipe I is connected. l2 is the flange or toe of the cylinder A A, by which it is fastened to the bed-plate B. m m1 m2 are pitmen of the usual form connecting the crossheads 'i and t" with the cranks hh. h h are ways on which the cross-head t" moves and by which it is guided. o 0 o, &c., are pieces of wood or other material placed, as shown, to act as non-conductors of heat and cold. 10121112 are pistons with stuffing-boxes s s s, through which the piston-rods slide. The exterior' surfaces may be made of metal, and between those surfaces ot the outer pistons wood or some other non-conducting material is placed. These pistons may be packed with the usual ring or gasket packing on their peripheries, and the stuffing-boxes may be packed in any usual manner. rllhe pistons p1 and p2 are fastened on the rods 1^ and r2 at a proper distance apart, and move in like manner, the one as the other, while the piston p moves between them, and always in the opposite direction. The movement of these pistons is regulated by the cranks 7c k, the pitmen of the pistons p1 pZ being fastened to crank-pins opposite that on which the pit-man of the piston p is fastened. g, 85e., are passages or ports in the heads hh and also in the condenser, cooler, and heater below the workin g-cylinder. o" r1 r2 are piston-rods. s s s, Src., are stuffingboxes. t t are disk-valves with springs to seat them, and their oiiice is to close the perforations in the end of the heads h L the moment the contents to be evacuated from the piston-chamber are ejected. The further description and oiiice of these valves may be found in Letters Patent No. 108,600, granted to me October 25, 187 0. Their bearing surfaces may be covered with India rubber, (vulcanized,) leather, or other material. u u are covers to the chests G C C. u c are suitable valves of ordinary construction. x is a pipe through which the condensed vapor is returned in the iiuid form to the vessel from whence it came; or, by closing a valve therein when vapor is not being condensed, and opening the valve to the right, condensed air may be made to now to receivers or coolers or rooms. y is an ordinary water-pipe, by means of which cool water is kept continually owing at any required velocity into the waterpassages c c. z z are water-pipes educting the water conveyed into c c by pipe y, which pipes z z enter the chamber H and continue thence through the exhaust-pipe E to a suitable reservoir for water, where it will be heated by the eX- haust steam, and may be used for any purposefeed-Water for boilers or any other.

It is obvious that, by dispensing with the condensing-chamber C2, putting in ordinary cylinder-heads in lieu of the heads h h, connecting the chest C with the chests C C', substituting for the valves e e valves like ff to induct and exhaust steam, conveying the same exhaust-steam to the chamber H, this apparatus might be made to perform like an ordinary non-condensin g steamengine, with this advantage over the ordinary one-piston engine, viz., it would be made to give three times more power than a single-piston engine of the same diameter of cylinder. It is also obvious that in the shape as shown herein it might be used as a condensing steam-engine simply by connecting exhaust-pipe E with an ordinary surface condenser, and the vapor-chamber of that surface condenser with the chests C', throughthe valves U e or in some other manner, and the further addition of a hot Well, air and water-pump connected with the pipe x.

I claim as my inventionl. The compound engine and pump, composed substantially of the cylinderA Al with the three pistons p p1 p2 and the heads h h arranged to receive and guide the rods Ir r1 r2, as herein set forth.

2. The three pistons p p1 p2, cylinder A A, heads h h with the stuffing-boxes s s s s, when constructed and combined substantially as hercin set forth.

3. The combination and arrangement of the pistons p p1 p2,- rods r r1 r2, cross-heads i lL", pit-- men m ml m2, and cranks k k k k k k, subst-air' tially as described.

4. rlhe three pistons 19191192 with metal eXteriors and wooden or oth er linings, arranged within the cylinder A A, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The arrangement of the passages c c q q above and beneath the cylinder A A', in combination with suitable en gine-pistons, substantially as herein set forth.

6. The combination of the piston-chamber A A with the condensing-chamber C2, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.

OSCAR l). LEVIS.

Vitnesses:

Gno. S. RrcnAnnsoN, HENRY O. BARNETT. 

